The congregation of Pleasant Valley Methodist Church formed in 1838 and met in members’ homes until the church was built in 1846-1848. A Greek Revival building, it is located on Route 181 in Pleasant Valley, Barkhamsted. Additions to the church were built in 1899 and 1992.
The 1821 schoolhouse of Barkhamsted‘s Center school district was two stories tall when it was built. Due to population decline and the building being in need of repair, it was converted to a one-story building by removing the first floor in 1880. It ceased being used as a school in the 1930s. In 1980, the schoolhouse was moved to Center Hill Road from its original location, near what is now the Barkhamsted Reservoir, by the Barkhamsted Historical Society.
The first church to be built in the village of Riverton in Barkhamsted was the Union Episcopal Church. The Gothic structure was constructed of rusticated granite in 1829-1830 under the superintendence of Jesse Ives, first keeper of the Old Riverton Inn. For about thirty years, the church was used as a museum for the Hitchcock Chair Company, whose factory was located just down the street. After closing in the 1990s, the museum sold off its collection in 2003. Two years later, the former church was sold to Peter Greenwood, a glass blower, who converted it into a studio and gallery.
The First Congregational Church of Barkhamsted, also known as Barkhamsted Center Church, was gathered in 1781. The first meetinghouse was built in 1784 and was used until the current, second meeting house was built in 1844-1845. As written in Barkhamsted, Conn., and Its Centennial, 1879:
the old Meeting House was raised in 1784, and used for religious purposes until about 1843 or 1844, and also for town purposes. It was used but little, if any, after the new house was built, and being neglected, of course, rapidly fell into decay. After some changes in ownership, it eventually came into the possession of George Merrill and his sons, Charles and Sheldon, and was f1nally sold to the Greenwoods Company of New Hartford, and by them taken down in 1865, and part of it used in the buildings at the west end of the Greenwoods Company’s dam, near the Scythe Shop. The large stone steps at the east door were used by Bela Tiffany; those at the south door by Charles Merrill; those at the west door by Sheldon Merrill, as steps for their residences respectively.
The second meeting house’s belfry tower was removed in the 1920s, but was recently rebuilt.
The Old Riverton Inn, Barkhamsted, traditionally goes back to 1796, although the building probably dates to around 1804. It was originally opened by Jesse Ives as a tavern and inn, which he operated until 1856. Industry soon developed in Riverton and much traffic crossed the neighboring bridge across the Farmington River. The Old Riverton Inn (pdf) has remained open under various owners over the years and continues in business today. The building has undergone a number of changes and additions, including an Italianate-style porch. It retains original Federal-style features as well as Colonial Revival alterations. (more…)
The Everett Bevins House is an 1880 Victorian Gothic house at 6 Riverton Road in Barkhamsted. It is currently home to Sweet Pea’s Restaurant.
In 1796, Daniel Bennett of Weston built the house in Barkhamsted that would later be called Squire’s Tavern. From 1801 to 1821, it was operated as a tavern by Saul Upson, who then sold it to Bela Squire. The property had a farm, tavern, and blacksmith’s shop. The house had other owners after 1871, including Johann Ullmann, a German immigrant farmer. In 1929, the former Tavern was donated to the state and housed park rangers as part of People’s State Forest. By the 1990s, the building was unoccupied. It has since been restored and opened as a museum by the Barkhamsted Historical Society.
